it's good to give them different things to eat... keep in mind, flour (something other than wheat would be good lol since wheat is cheapest), oatmeal, some dried beans, dried bread crumbs, etc. etc. etc.

Also, keep in mind, I will give them other types of "wet" food such as apples, celery, fruits & veggies, blah blah blah, BUT I often use potatoes... they will dry up and the adult beetles will lay eggs on them and you can often move these into a different container where they will hatch...

i grow tons of mealworms i use a water tank large plastic hubby cut in half fill with organic bran cut raw potatoes put on top brown side down and cover with newspaper mist paper with water every 3 day (dont use apples) blood mites are drawn to them and you will get a mealworm base full of mites yuck.. this method the bran needs replacing only once a year cost less than 20.00 for the bran i got the old water tank for a farmer throwin it our didnt hold water anymore. stir bedding and add new paotoes weekly always keep as warm as possible if you want lots of mealworms as i keep about 80 all year around and get about 10,000 mealies a week i use just a household screen to sift larger one out and leave babys or i kinda cheat and when you mist the paper if you go back a few minutes later flip paper over 100's will be attached to paper scoop and feed. i have only had to put about 100.00 into bran over five years and sell mealies by the thousands and feed extra to my chickens and hedgehogs...happy mealie's...

OK, a few days ago I placed an order for 5,000 mealworms from an online live-food supply shop. Half of them are for the chickens, and half are going to be used to breed my own colony of mealworms, in the hopes that I will have my own lasting supply of live food for the girls.

For those unfamiliar with worms, mealworms are smallish, golden-brown worms that resemble millipedes with fewer legs. They aren't slimy or gross, really. They are the larval form of mealbugs, which are small black beetles. Mealworms are probably THE most popular live-food in the USA.

So I got the little peach-colored card in my mailbox that says (paraphrased) "Yo, we got a package for you, but your MFing mailbox is too small for it!" So I take tke card to my local PO to pick up the box, which I know is my worms.

So I get there, and the nice lady goes into the back room to get the package, and I hear a shriek. You know, when you really HAVE to scream, but you cut it off because you don't want to make a scene? Well it was that sound. Followed by "JOEY!"

A man rushed past me and into the back room. After a moment, he came back out, gingerly holding a box, way out in front of him, looking suspiciously from me to the box. Right behind him, a hand pressed to her mouth, was the lady.

I laughed. "Oh, can you hear them moving around?" I asked.

They both looked at me, and Joey smiled and nodded. The lady laughed nervously, and said "I picked the box up and it started VIBRATIN' and hissin' at me!"

I laughed again. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. It's a box of live mealworms, for my chickens. The hissing was just the sound of them crawling on the paper that they are shipped with."

The lady looked at me. "You're the one who picked up the box of chicks a few months ago, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" I said. Then I recognized her as the lady who retrieved the "peeping package" for me back in November.

"They gonna eat these things?" She asked, pointing at the box, wich Joey had placed on the counter in front of me.

"I hope so," I replied. "Otherwise I'll have to eat them myself."

I did not think a Black woman could go pale, but she did.

"I'm KIDDING!" I said quickly.

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LisaJean - Have to say, my husband and I both laughed out loud at your post. We are new chicken lovers, and been buying freeze-dried mealworms. Just too expensive, so we're joining the "grow your own crowd". Anyway, my husband is a mailman, and we loved your story about the shipping adventures at your local PO. Whenever chicks ship through his PO, people always let him know.... do you think it has anything to do with the "chillin with my peeps" bumper sticker on his truck? Since we built our backyard coop, they call him the "chicken whisperer" and expect him to go postal at any minute.

My two cents worth: Put a lid on your meal worm farm. One with slots or ventilation.

When I started my first farm I was using an old Tupperware. The lid was solid and I didn't want to use that and had intentions of modifying it but never got around to it.

I just have a few hens and they follow me around like pets. They follow me into the garage all the time knowing I'll toss them a few worms so they KNOW where the farm is located.

So one Saturday, I'm out doing my chores and the hens are out and I'm not standing there watching their every move. They are not going to hurt anything in my garden. I go into the garage for gloves and turn to walk out when I hear a sound. I stop and turn around. Thinking that's odd. I'm the only one out here. I don't have critters in my garage. What was that sound. I look and look and then hear it again. And then I see it.

My HUGE Buff Orpington has managed to loft her fat, fluffy self up onto the table and is standing right in the middle of the plastic tub of worms just helping herself to a HUGE smorgasbord of worms. I walk over and pick her up of the tub of worms and OMG, her crop is going to blow. She had to have been up there for 5-10 minutes and I have no idea how many worms she ate but she was stuffed to the gills. I sat down w/ her in my lap. She was too fat to protest or jump off. I explained to her that her behavior was very naughty. And she just looked up at me with those sweet little golden eyes and clucked contently.

So I added making a lid for the worm farm to my list of chores for that day and I did. But those hens are not stupid. That BO still follows me into the garage any chance she can get and stands there eyeing that tub of worms.